There is nothing I can say about Gaza that hasn’t been said perfectly by the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: “Israel is committing war crimes” and a proposed relocation of 600,000 Palestinians into a “humanitarian city” amounts to nothing less than a “concentration camp” that would be “part of an ethnic cleansing.”
As long as the United State provides unconditional and unquestioning aid and arms to one side, untethered from humanitarian objectives, there will be no lasting peace.
However, those Corvallis city councilors who voted for a draft resolution in support of the anti-Israeli boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement have done nothing to advance the cause of the people of Gaza. Their performative gesture has only put a big red target on the city of Corvallis.
Across the country, the federal government is pulling funding and grants from cities that are tied to the BDS or DEI initiatives. The virtue signaling by these city councilors is not helpful to the cause, nor is it without risk. What progressive programs and goals might be undermined when the federal government decides to pick on funding tied to Corvallis or one of its many vulnerable employers? I have many Jewish friends who are opposed to the current Israeli government, but have legitimate fears for their safety when our local government attracts attention as a soapbox for unrelated federal and international issues.
If this gesture of support for Gaza were helpful to Gazan civilians, I would be supportive. Full stop. But it isn’t. It reminds me of when I was in student government at Georgetown University: those elected by fellow students to have better soda machines in the cafeteria wrote meaningless amicus curiae briefs to the Supreme Court on issues that had nothing to do with the student experience, except for the sponsor’s law school application.
Likewise, these city councilors are wasting everyone’s time and taxpayer dollars by focusing on national issues at the municipal level. This has the potential to create huge legal and funding costs to the city! If they really cared about Gaza, they would apply pressure where it matters: at the federal level.
I will lead by example: what influence does the money given by pro-Israeli PACS have on our three federal representatives in DC? In total, Senator Ron Wyden has received $1,280,376, Senator Jeff Merkley has received $250,147, and Congresswoman Val Hoyle has received $70,551 in her short career from pro-Israel PACS, tied to a government most American Jews don’t even support. In 2024, only 41% of American Jews held a favorable view of the Israeli government. Who do these politicians represent?
Does this staggering amount of money have something to do with the unconditional and endless aid dollars and arms given to a government that a former Israel Prime minister says is perpetuating genocide? Maybe the first step on advocating for human rights in Gaza is to wonder what these donations to our federal officials are buying. If you want change in Gaza, follow the money sent to our politicians because that is directly tied to the arms and aid sent to the current Israeli government. But performative soapboxing and virtue signaling in local government is not the right path. It is highly risky and potentially costly to the city.
Bjorn Philip Beer is a businessman and advocate for affordable housing across the country. He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and has served as an aide to a NATO ambassador. He resides in Corvallis.
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